Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Florida House advances bill to keep transgenders out of the wrong bathroom...

After a two hour hearing, a House panel Tuesday cleared
legislation cast as “common sense” by proponents, but vocally opposed by
the transgender community, which says it’s discriminatory.
The bill (HB 583) makes it a second-degree misdemeanor for someone to
use a single-sex restroom if it does not match the gender on that
person’s driver’s license or passport.
It has become the most contentious measure during the early parts of
legislative session, with hours of testimony during its first two
committee stops.
It is sponsored by state Rep. Frank Artiles, a Miami Republican, who
says his top goal is public safety. He is specifically taking aim at a
Miami-Dade County law that he says is overbroad, and will allow
heterosexual men access to women’s bathrooms.